contact_magazine_#37_EN

Office Life
Remote junkie
meets desk potato.
Seven different New Work employees.
New Work is not only changing the way we work, but also creating completely new
employee types. We introduce seven different New Workers.
© Envato
Desk potatoes
These are the equivalent of the
couch potato – nothing and no
one will take desk potatoes away
from their workstation. They
have no interest whatsoever in
working from home or remote work.
Their personal workstation is their comfort zone,
which they are very reluctant to leave. Desk potatoes
work meticulously and reliably as long as they don’t
have to leave their home base to do so.
Remote junkies
Today working from home,
mobile working on the train
tomorrow, workation in Sicily
next week – remote junkies find
somewhere to do their work whenever
and wherever, and preferably
away from the office. They are fully mobile with their
technical equipment and prepared for any internet failure.
Their mobile, notebook or tablet is of a size that
is practical and convenient for travel and has survived
many a hard-core workation. Remote junkies indulge
their desire for freedom in their job too and need a
change of scenery on a regular basis.
Office nomads
The day starts with checking
emails in the focus zone, then
a casual lean coffee meeting in
the working café, followed by
a video conference in the phone
box. Lunch, with a good chinwag
included, is taken in the activity garden. Straight after
that, documents have to be reviewed in the silent
room. Finally, it’s time to get creative and to scribble
all over the whiteboards at a scrum meeting. – Office
nomads are proponents of activity-based working and
wander from one room to the next. They have checked
out exactly which area is best suited to which task and
move through the entire office landscape like nomads.
Home workers
You only know them from the
screen because they work predominantly
from their homes. We
are talking about home workers.
Employees of this type have made
themselves comfortable at home.
Their office at home is so well-equipped that it is only
necessary to visit the company office in exceptional
circumstances. However, they are diligent when it
comes to video conferencing. And they are never
without their cat and their tracksuit bottoms.
Networkers
As the name suggests, networkers
are extremely well-connected
both within and outside the
company. They know everyone,
and everyone knows them. They
already know about the latest news
and rumours before something actually happens. To
maintain their level of knowledge, they are constantly
doing the rounds. Like office nomads, they use the
space available, but mainly to meet as many people as
possible with whom they can enter into conversation.
Sporting aces
Sitting down for long periods is
an absolute no-go for sporting
aces. Without a height-adjustable
desk for which the height can
be changed every hour, this type of
employee would not be able to survive
a single day. Discussions standing up or walk & talk
meetings are a must for sporting aces, as are extended
walks during their phone calls.
Co-workers
Co-workers are usually freelancers
or members of a start-up. In
order to find connection in an
inspiring workspace despite the
usually small number of colleagues,
co-workers travel between
shared offices. They are flexible and
are satisfied with the next free workstation; it’s all
about life in the office. They are therefore very sociable
and love to interact with all sorts of people.
© Freepik
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